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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · can · mug · squash · bound · wound · pound · press

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — to be able to
  4. press — newspapers
  5. band — a music group
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. can — a tin
  9. mug — a face
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — a weight
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bound — obliged
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com